Stigma and prejudice – Media Watch

DRUM ‘out and proud’ and addressing HIV

By publishing stories that highlight acceptance of homosexuality and same sex sexual practices, DRUM inadvertently gives HIV-prevention and treatment among men who have sex with men (MSM) a leg-up.

This week DRUM magazine published a feature story on local gay choreographer Somizi Mhlongo, emphasising his mother’s acceptance and support of his sexual preference.

Stories like this could go a long way towards educating a public that still has ‘outbreaks’ of sometimes-violent homophobia, as exemplified by the 2006 murder of Zoliswa Nkonyana, whose killers were sentenced this week.

HIV and obesity a weighty issue

According to articles published by Health-e and Drum Magazine a new trend of intentionally gaining weight is emerging amongst those living with HIV.

Doctors indicate that people engaging in this behaviour are trying to distance themselves from thinness, which is often associated with HIV and AIDS.

But people living with the virus need to be warned against the consumption of fatty foods because they can interfere with the absorption of ARVs.

Dastardly disclosure: Times leaves readers adrift

The Times today reported on the outraged responses of two women implicated in a public email which alleges that they were part of an organised ring formed to maliciously infect men with HIV.

But the article in question does not provide any framework with which to make sense of the harmful and problematic behaviour of publicly disclosing a person’s HIV-status.

While The Times reports that the (legitimate) complaints of the two women lie in the fact that they have been wrongly and maliciously labeled HIV-positive, it is the action of the person who chose to make this conversation public that is considerably more worrying. This behaviour is even more worrying considering that the email clearly identifies 23 women by their first and last names and in some cases even features pictures.

Striking a balance: Normalisation vs trivialisation of HIV

Given the advances in treatment and the proliferation of stories on ‘positive role models,’ the media should be aware of the delicate balance between addressing stigma that people living with HIV often experience and trivialising HIV as a condition.

Another ‘living positively’ story was born last week when former Isidingo actress, Lesego Motsepe, chose World AIDS Day to make public that she has been living with HIV for over a decade.

In a context where HIV is now a manageable albeit chronic condition, personal good news stories around positive heroes often feature in the media.

And while these vignettes do have the potential to address stigma through normalising HIV (especially when they are backed by serious star-power, as is the case with Koyo Bala, Criselda Kananda and of course Motsepe herself), the media should ensure that that these personal stories are covered in such a way that they do not give people the impression that living with HIV is easy.

HIV activists ‘terrorised’ by God-Zille’s HIV criminalisation comments

Helen Zille’s recently aired and very controversial views on the criminalization of unsafe sex and who deserves HIV treatment have proved to be the sparks that ignited a slew of online media coverage and responses from outraged HIV activists.

Zille was reported as saying that unsafe sex should be criminalised, particularly when it came to men involved in multiple concurrent partnerships.

The premier also stated that those who contract HIV through irresponsible behavior should not “come running to the state” for treatment.

The most notable response to Zille’s controversial remarks came from Nathan Geffen (TAC) and Gavin Silber (Social Justice Coalition).

Geffen and Silber argue that the Premier’s opinions are “misinformed and unscientific” and “unconstitutional” to boot. Most importantly, Geffen and Silber point out that the criminalisation of unsafe sex and the withdrawal of treatment from those deemed undeserving and irresponsible, would actually have negative consequences for those living with the virus and for the spread of HIV itself.